23 Mar 7 Simple Rules For Authentic Happiness (Not The Fake Kind We All Pretend We Have)
There are those who suggest we should … fake it until we make it.
Act happy, this approaches proffers, and you’ll become happy.
Now although I’m not actually a huge fan of this approach there is some science to support it. If you do positive things you’re more likely to feel positive emotions; if you smile and laugh you’re more likely to feel happy (even if that smiling was faked)!
Ideally, however, we should be doing what we can, as often as we can, to foster and develop a life of real and meaningful happiness. Short term joy and pleasure is great, but longer term, genuine and authentic happiness is probably better.
Which is why I like this article by Jordan Gray from the Your Tango website …
I am not a doctor. I am not a researcher. I am not a happiness expert.
I am a human being who has (at the time of posting this) lived for less than thirty years and has accumulated thoughts about how life works. These are some of those thoughts. I hope that you get value from them.
Here are seven necessary rules that I believe you need to live so you can figure out how to be happy and experience a durable sense of authentic happiness.
1. Feel your feelings fully.
Stress is simply the compounded unfelt feelings that live in your body. The more things you don’t feel, the more stressed you feel. When you don’t feel your feelings, tension shows up in your body. You get sick easier. It’s harder to be happy about life.
Practice cathartic practices. Release anger. Relinquish jealousy. Cry fully. Remember: life isn’t about feeling better, it’s about getting better at feeling. Regularly allow yourself the time and space to let it all out. You’ll be glad you did.
2. Give more.
We all suffer to the degree that our mind/ego convinces us that we are alone. That we are isolated. That life is ours alone to suffer through. Honoring your emotional states is necessary, but so is getting out of your head and back into remembering that your life is ultimately about service to others.
When I feel stale, stuck, stagnant, I start chipping away at my service to humanity. I check in with a client who needs support. I wrote an article that will hopefully alleviate pain in the world. I send one of my best friends a message telling them how much I love them.
When you get stuck in your head, try giving more. Give whatever you can. Give your gifts. Make art. Volunteer. Ask someone you care about how you can make their life even 1 percent better, and then deliver on that promise.
This will be part of your life’s mission — today, and forever…
… keep reading the full & original article HERE